"Frankenweenie" arrives in theaters Friday (Oct. 5), and AMC Theaters isn't letting the occasion pass without offering Tim Burton fans a way to celebrate. Specifically, they've scared up a double-feature screening Thursday night (Oct. 4), consisting of the Burton-produced "Nightmare Before Christmas," followed by a midnight premiere of the Burton-directed "Frankenweenie." The AMC Burton-palooza tops this week's Thinking Outside the Box Office column, a weekly rundown of notable events for New Orleans film fans.

LIMITED RUNS

Tim Burton Monster Mashup Elmwood Palace. To celebrating the arrival of director Tim Burton's stop-motion animated film "Frankenweenie," the AMC Elmwood Palace will host a 3-D "Monster Mash" event (10:30 p.m. Thursday), featuring a screening of the 3-D version of director Henry Selick's 1993 "The Nightmare Before Christmas" - which Burton produced - to be followed immediately by the midnight premiere of "Frankenweenie." Tickets, available at the theater box office, are $15 each and include a souvenir lanyard. For details, visit the AMC Theatres website.

Prytania Theatre Midnite Movies Series 5339 Prytania St., 891.2787. This week: director Stanley Kubrick's 1980 adaptation of the Stephen King novel "The Shining" (midnight Fri, Oct. 5; and Sat, Oct. 6), starring Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall and Scatman Crothers in the story of a struggling writer who slowly loses his grip on reality when he signs on as the winter caretaker of an isolated mountain resort.Tickets are $10 for adults, $9 for college students, and $8 for children and seniors. For details visit the Prytania Theatre website.

'Lawrence of Arabia' 50th Anniversary Event Elmwood Palace, West Bank Palace. NCM Fathom Events and Sony Pictures Entertainment present a 50th anniversary celebration of director David Lean's classic "Lawrence of Arabia" (1 and 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 4), which has recently undergone a digital restoration. The event will include an on-screen introduction from "Lawrence of Arabia" star and Oscar nominee Omar Sharif, newsreel footage of the New York premiere, as well as an interview with Martin Scorsese about the film's legacy.Tickets are $12.50 for the 1 p.m. showing, and $15 for the 7 p.m. showing. Click here for details of the "Lawrence of Arabia" 50th anniversary screening, or visit the Fathom Events website.

Zeitgeist Multi-Disciplinary Arts Center 1618 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd., 504.827.5858. New this week: director Pip Chodorov's 2010 documentary "Free Radicals: A History of Experimental Films" (5:30 nightly Friday, Oct. 5; through Thurs, Oct. 11); and director Jim Hubbard's 2012 documentary "United in Anger: A History of ACT UP" (7:30 nightly Friday, Oct. 5; through Thurs, Oct. 11), chronicling the rise to power of the AIDS activist group. Hubbard will be in attendance Friday through Sunday and participate in a panel discussion moderated by author/activist Jordan Flaherty. Also, on Saturday, Hubbard will present the shorts collection "Momento Mori: The Experimental Films of Jim Hubbard" (9:30 p.m.). Holding over: director Neil Berkeley's 2012 documentary "Beauty Is Embarrassing" (3:30 p.m. Sat., Oct. 6; and Sun., Oct. 7; plus 9:30 p.m. Mon., Oct. 8; through Thurs., Oct. 11), about the life and current times of artist Wayne White.Tickets are $8 ($7 for students and seniors; $6 for members and children under 16). For details, visit the Zeitgeist Multi-Disciplinary Arts Center website.

FREE SCREENINGS

Deutsches Haus Kino Deutsches Haus, 1023 Ridgewood St., Metairie, 522.8014. The local cultural center continues its series of notable German films. This week: director Dennis Gansel's 2010 vampire drama "Wir Sind die Nact (We are the Night)" (7:30 Wed., Oct. 10), about a detective on the hunt for a trio of female vampires operating in Berlin. All films are subtitled. For details, visit the Deutsches Haus website.

Hollywood South symposium Georges Auditorium, Dillard University Professional Schools building. Hollywood cinematographer Kerwin DeVonish and production designer Sharon Seymour -- both in town working on director Spike Lee's "Oldboy" remake -- will discuss their respective crafts in a pair of free events (4 p.m. today, and 7 p.m. Wednesday). For details visit the Dillard University website.

NORD Movies in the Park program The local free screening series continues with director Christopher Nolan's Oscar-winning 2008 Batman film "The Dark Knight" (7:30 Friday, Oct. 5, Lemann Playground, 537 N. Claiborne Ave.). Vendors will be on hand selling food and drinks. For details, visit the official Movies in the Park website or call 658.3016.

FILM FESTIVALS

New Orleans Afrikan Film and Arts Festival Café Istanbul, 2372 St. Claude Ave. The fourth annual festival - renamed from the Mississippi River 9th Ward Film and Arts Festival - unspools this weekend (Fri., Oct. 5; through Sunday, Oct. 7), with a series of screenings and events all built around the same goal: to introduce New Orleanians to various cultures of the African Diaspora through film, particularly those with cultural links to the city.Tickets to individual screenings are $5. Click here for more on the New Orleans Afrikan Film and Arts Festival, or visit the official website.